Statement of Support for Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming (TGNC) Individuals 2025
As an international scientific organization dedicated to the ethical and effective application of behavior analysis for the betterment of the human condition, we recognize the critical importance of affirming and supporting all transgender and gender-nonconforming (TGNC) people, including clients, stakeholders, practitioners, trainees, staff, and students.
The year 2025 has marked a significant and increasing trend in anti-trans rhetoric and anti-trans legislation in the United States, with 9 bills passed and 584 bills under consideration as of February 2025, in addition to the 674 bills considered in the totality of 2024. These legislative actions seek to target TGNC rights, including but not limited to, freedom of expression, safety, and access in areas such as education, employment, healthcare, sports, and public spaces (e.g., restrooms). Here are some organizations that provide an overview of the legislative landscape for TGNC, as well as other 2SLGBTQIA+ communities in the United States:
We acknowledge that transgender and gender-diverse individuals and communities have long existed throughout the lifespan and across all cultures, despite ongoing attacks on their rights and freedoms (American Psychological Association, 2024). Research consistently demonstrates that affirming gender identity significantly improves mental health, behavioral outcomes, and overall well-being for TGNC people. As behavior analysts, we must ensure that our practices are affirming, inclusive, and guided by ethical, peer-reviewed scientific evidence. This includes advocating for care shown to be connected to positive outcomes, such as medical care, legal recognition, and supportive environments. Our practices do not include any form of conversion therapy as it is harmful and unethical (see ABAI Statement on Conversion Therapy and Practices, 2022).
This is a critical moment in which silence is not an option. As an organization, we are committed to upholding and promoting culturally humble, compassionate, science-informed practices with integrity. We stand with TGNC people in the pursuit of dignity, respect, equal rights, access, and safety.
We strongly encourage practitioners, supervisors, faculty, supervisees, trainees, or any other professional community members who work either with or alongside those who identify as TGNC to uphold ethical and moral obligations to provide culturally responsive services; it is imperative that the professional community conduct themselves in a manner that is inclusive and non-discriminatory, as required by the BACB Ethics Code items 1.08 and 1.09. In addition, careful consideration should be given to creating safe, affirming environments for TGNC clients and staff by addressing any personal biases that may interfere with the delivery of culturally responsive services (1.10). We urge professional community members to seek training to develop their own competence in providing culturally affirmative services, as well as to ensure continuous training and evaluation on the delivery of such services to provide effective treatment which prioritizes TGNC client rights and dignity (2.01, 3.01). Given our field’s commitment to the betterment of the human condition, we have provided some considerations that can be taken to address potential relocation and harm reduction for TGNC people.
Many TGNC clients may need to relocate for their personal safety or to access their necessary medical care. We call upon providers to take their clients’ medical needs into consideration, and facilitate the continuation of services by collaborating with other providers in safer locations (2.12, 3.13, 3.14). We also recognize that during this time, students, supervisees, and trainees may need to relocate for their safety and wellbeing. We call on universities, in turn, to recognize the difficulty of having to decide to interrupt a graduate program or fieldwork experience in order to ensure one’s safety, and that it is not a decision made lightly. We ask for programs and supervisors to extend grace to students transferring between programs in these circumstances. In particular, we encourage university administrations to take this time to evaluate the impact of transfer policies (e.g., transfer credit limits) that may have a disproportionate impact on individuals fleeing specific threats to their rights, and to consider instead what adjustments may be feasible to support them. ABAI is committed to increasing resources and support for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. For more information, please visit the ABAI DEI Board webpage.
If and when you feel prepared and willing to take action, here are some organizations that provide direction for activism in terms of grassroots efforts and direct assistance to various 2SLGBTQIA+ communities:
This statement is centered on recent events with respect to TGNC people in the U.S., but ABAI stands in unwavering support of all 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. The expanding marginalization and oppression of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities in the U.S. involves multiple levels of oppression across intersecting marginalized communities. Only as a united front can we work together across communities to dismantle systems of oppression and strive to prevent future harms for historically marginalized peoples.
References
American Psychological Association. (2024, February). APA Policy Statement on Affirming Evidence-Based Inclusive Care for Transgender, Gender Diverse, and Nonbinary Individuals, Addressing Misinformation, and the Role of Psychological Practice and Science [Policy Statement]. https://www.apa.org/about/policy/transgender-nonbinary-inclusive-care.pdf
Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals. (2024). Supporting trans and nonbinary people in postsecondary education. The Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals. https://lgbtcampus.memberclicks.net/assets/docs/supporting-trans-nonbinary-people-postsecondary-education-20240628.pdf
Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). (2025, March). PFLAG National Glossary. https://pflag.org/glossary/
iOften shortened to trans, from the Latin prefix for “on a different side as.” A term describing a person’s gender identity that does not necessarily match their assigned sex at birth. Transgender people may or may not decide to alter their bodies hormonally and/or surgically to match their gender identity. This word is also used as an umbrella term to describe groups of people who transcend conventional expectations of gender identity or expression. See above for common acronyms and terms including female to male (or FTM), male to female (or MTF), assigned male at birth (or AMAB), assigned female at birth (or AFAB), nonbinary, and gender-expansive. “Trans” is often considered more inclusive than transgender because it includes transgender, transsexual, transmasc, transfem, and those who simply use the word trans (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays; PFLAG, 2025)..
iiAn umbrella term for those who do not follow gender stereotypes, or who expand ideas of gender expression or gender identity. GNC does NOT mean non-binary and cisgender people can be GNC as well. It is important to respect and use the terms people use for themselves, regardless of any prior associations or ideas about those terms. While some parents and allies use the term “gender expansive," gender non-conforming is the preferred term by the LGBTQ+ community; always use the term preferred by an individual with whom you are interacting (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays; PFLAG, 2025)..
iiiThe websites listed or recommended are not owned or operated by ABAI, nor is ABAI responsible for their content, functionality, or accuracy. ABAI does not monitor these websites on an ongoing basis, and their availability or content may change over time. Please use your discretion when visiting external websites, and review their terms of service, privacy policies, and other relevant information before engaging with them.
ivWe acknowledge that some communities—for example, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)—may not use the same terms as others in the 2SLBGTQIA+ community to identify themselves. We must remain critically aware of the tendency to interpret experiences through a white-centric lens, while also being attuned to the complex cultural needs of community members who face other forms of discrimination and oppression (e.g., racism, classism, ableism, and more; Consortium of Higher Education, 2024).
vAn acronym that collectively refers to individuals who are two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer, sometimes stated as LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) or, historically, GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender). The additional “+” stands for all of the other identities not encompassed in the short acronym (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays; PFLAG, 2025).